Michael Shaw, Sayre

Corey Michael Strope, 33, Sayre, faces charges for aggravated and simple assault, reckless endangerment, and harassment by physical contact, stemming from an incident at the Lehigh Tavern in Sayre at about 12:10 a.m. on July 3. Police reported to a call about an unconscious person on the ground outside the bar on North Lehigh Avenue. The victim remained unresponsive when patrolmen found him. A bar patron was stabilizing his neck and holding a cold cloth to his head. Additional patrons in the immediate area denied knowing anything other than telling police that the victim had been drinking during the day and it was their belief that the man had passed out. After an ambulance arrived, a male patron advised police that he had heard from other patrons that Strope had punched the man in the face as he left the bar. The reporting officer went to Robert Packer Hospital to speak with the mother and girlfriend of the victim and learned that there had been an altercation at the bar earlier in the evening between a male cousin of Strope’s and another male. According to the victim’s girlfriend, Strope apparently overheard the victim and another man discussing the earlier argument when Strope stated, “That’s my family you are laughing about,” before striking the victim in the head with a closed fist, which caused the victim to lose his balance and strike his head on the pavement. Additional witnessed corroborated the story, and another suggested that Strope was not only drunk but under the influence of mushrooms. According to doctors, the victim had bleeding on his brain in two locations. He was in ICU from July 3 to 10, sedated most of that time. He has suffered memory loss but is said to be improving. A preliminary hearing for Strope is set for Aug. 16.

Adam Lucas Feist, 19, Newcastle, WY, and Millard John Decker, III, 33, Athens, were arrested on numerous charges after reportedly trying to elude Athens Borough Police in the area of the municipal parking lot on South Elmira Street at about 2:30 a.m. on Aug. 5. The two were observed “hunched down” in a car before exiting the parking lot onto Route 199. Patrolman Cody Welch requested permission from Athens Township Police to initiate a stop, at which time he recognized an AK-47 assault rifle on the rear seat of the vehicle, which was driven by Feist. As it turned out, the license plates were expired and belonged on a Ford sedan. While securing the firearm, the officer also noticed a bag of pot on top of the center console. Both men, who denied possession of the pot, were taken to the borough police department, where Decker was identified, despite being defiant. He allegedly threatened the police officers that their heads would “explode” when he saw them on the street again, ground his handcuffs up and down the bars of his holding cell, and uttered a continuous string of expletives. Feist’s vehicle was impounded, and a larger bag of marijuana was found in the center console. Bail was set at $35,000 for Feist and $45,000 for Decker, and both men were scheduled for an Aug. 9 preliminary hearing.

Brenda Lee Stevens, 36, Sayre, faces charges for endangering the welfare of a child, after a five-year-old girl was observed wandering in traffic in the area of Elmira and West Lockhart Streets in Athens Township at about 7:30 p.m. on July 31. The woman who made the initial call was able to able to catch the child in the area of Williams Toyota after the youth was almost struck by passing vehicles. The little girl’s grandmother came upon the scene and told the reporting officer that the child belonged to her daughter, who lived in the Mountain View Manor apartment complex. The grandmother took custody of the child and the patrolman followed her to the apartment. As he arrived, the grandmother and little girl were already inside the home. Stevens could allegedly be heard repeatedly yelling the F-word and was told to stop as the officer entered the apartment. Stevens appeared to be intoxicated and had trouble giving the patrolman specific information about her. He reported that Stevens said the youth was being uncooperative and that she ran away from the apartment and was “too fast” for Stevens to catch. She allegedly had no answer when asked why she did not call police herself other than the fact that she had consumed nine beers. The officer contacted Children & Youth Services, and a family friend came to the residence to watch the child until Stevens’ ex-husband could arrive to take responsibility for the child. A preliminary hearing has been set for Aug. 30.

Kimberly Susan Swingle, 27, Sayre, faces charges for delivery of a controlled substance, namely heroin, as well as criminal use of a communication facility, namely her cellphone, for an incident dated Oct. 16, 2009. Swingle was the focus of an undercover operation conducted by the Sayre Police Department and the Bradford County Drug Task Force. A preliminary hearing was set for Aug. 2.

Richard Skovira, 24, Sayre, faces charges for possession of heroin after Sayre Borough Police went to his residence to arrest him for not appearing before a judge for a scheduled DUI hearing. An off-duty Athens Township police officer alerted the Sayre office upon observing Skovira on Layton Street at about 8 p.m. on July 27. Skovira was exiting his residence as the Sayre police arrived and is reported to have cooperated with the officers, who found the heroin in the pocket of his shorts. He will answer to the new charge at a preliminary hearing scheduled for Sept. 2.

Daniel Kizale, 24, Sayre, faces charges for burglary and criminal trespass after he allegedly let himself into a home on Howard Street in Sayre at about 11:50 a.m. on Aug. 4. One of the residents of the home returned to find Kizale’s vehicle in the driveway and confronted him in her mother’s bedroom. He reportedly told her that he was looking for the woman’s sister and boyfriend. The resident informed him that her sister was working, and Kizale left the dwelling after picking up a zip-lock baggie off the dresser. The owner and residents searched the home and could not determine that anything was missing. Kizale faced an Aug. 4 preliminary hearing.

Crystal Renee Wandell, 30, Sayre, faces charges for theft after she allegedly made a number of small transactions with her mother-in-law’s credit card at the Athens Dandy Mini Mart, where the defendant was employed, up to and including July 22. She faces a Sept. 2 preliminary hearing.

William Christopher Sutton, 28, Sayre, faces charges for DUI, operating without a valid driver’s license and failure to wear a seat belt. He was stopped after allegedly taking a right turn onto Main Street in Athens at about 1:35 a.m. on July 13 and swerving within his lane of travel. He refused to submit to a blood test and faces an Aug. 30 preliminary hearing.

Michael Nicholas Lamana, 21, Sayre, faces charges for selling or furnishing beer to minors, stemming from an incident dated July 2, between midnight and 3 a.m. State police at Towanda responded to a one vehicle crash along Litchfield Road in Litchfield Township and determined that the driver, Nicholas Malorzo, was under 21 years of age and under the influence of alcohol. The youth indicated that he had been at Lamana’s residence on Lee Road in Litchfield Township. Lamana reportedly admitted to police that he had allowed Malorzo to drink at his residence and expressed concern over his well-being. Lamana faces a Sept. 6 preliminary hearing.

Gabrielle May Robinson, 19, Milan, faces charges for underage DUI and failure to slow down or stop at a red blinking light at about 1:15 a.m. on May 21. A subsequent blood test yielded a BAC of .93. She faces a Sept. 6 preliminary hearing.